To create A White Wall, Dibbets set his camera to a three-second exposure
and shot a photograph of a wall adorned with the number 1. Dibbets then shot nine
more photographs of the same wall. For each successive photograph, the number
increased and the exposure setting of his camera decreased in a strict mathematical
progression: 2 seconds; 1 second; 1/2 second; 1/4 second, etc.). This process
resulted in ten photographic prints, gradated evenly from white to black. The
photographs were glued in two rows of five onto a sheet of matteboard, on which
Dibbets drew a pencil diagram explaining the process.

The most endangered feature of this work is its reproducible
mediumanalog black-and-white photography. Due to imperfections in the original
printing process and photographic paper, over three decades the photographs have
discolored. The even progression from light to dark gray has degenerated to an
uneven row of white and an uneven row of black. The original glue has seeped through
the photographic prints, contributing to the discoloration.

Preservation issues to explore include:

Negatives

Storage

What are the best means for conserving the original
negatives? Where should the negatives be stored, both during the artist's
lifetime and after?

Emulation

Could the appearance of the original photographs be
staged and re-shot?

Migration

Could the original analog negatives be migrated to
a digital source, such as CD-ROM?

Reinterpretation

When the analog negatives themselves degrade, should
they be enhanced or re-interpolated using digital tools such as Photoshop?

Matteboard

Storage

What techniques should be applied to restore the original
matteboard on which the photos are mounted?

Emulation

[If the board is damaged, should it be replaced and
the diagram redrawn to match the original?]

Migration

[no options]

Reinterpretation

If the board is damaged, should it be replaced and the
diagram redrawn?

Prints

Storage

What are the best means for conserving the original
prints? In the case of reprinting, what should happen to the original set
of prints?

Emulation

Should historical limitations in the original printing
quality be maintained in future reprintings?

Migration

Should the discolored photos be reprinted and re-glued
to the support? Whose permission would be required to do so?